We have all experienced it: the surge of adrenaline as temptation arises to challenge the groupthink or throw out a wild new idea, but as our leader asks, “Any more thoughts before we close the meeting?” we bite our tongue. 

It can be soul-destroying in the moment, but this hesitancy is often rooted in a fear of being punished or humiliated by our peers or leadership for taking a risk. 

But, if the point of innovation is to try new things and push boundaries, how can we create an environment where challenges are not seen as threats, and smart risks are actively encouraged? 

“Psychological Safety” is a term first coined by organizational psychologist Amy Edmondson to describe “a shared belief held by members of a team that the group is safe for interpersonal risk taking”. In other words, it’s a climate where people feel comfortable being themselves, speaking up and putting innovation before ego.   

According to one executive on a recent Meet the Boss roundtable, this cultural element is essential. “How do you set your colleagues and people up for success when it comes to innovation? You need to create the right environment and provide them with a safe space in which to test, learn and experiment,” they told us. “It’s about giving people permission to fail.” 

This is a topic we will be discussing at the upcoming Digital Innovation summit, hosted by GDS Group. So how can you create a psychologically safe environment in your organization? Here are a few tips to be going on with: 

1. Encourage open communication

Create an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up and sharing their ideas – even if they’re not confident in them.   

This can be done by designing “innovation sessions” in which staff are encouraged to share their thoughts. Alternatively, try having an “open door” policy whereby people learn to feel comfortable coming to you directly with their ideas, in confidence, no matter how outlandish they might seem.  

While this prospect may appear time-consuming, it is a discipline which is evidenced to drive business results. A global study titled “The Heard and the Heard-Nots”,  by The Workforce Institute UKG and Workplace Intelligence found that 74% of employees report they are more effective at their job when they feel heard.  

Tip: The reflective personalities on your team may take longer to process new concepts. During these sessions, it is worth pausing to allow for new ideas or follow-up questions before moving on to the next topic.  

2. Encourage risk-taking

It is a privilege to feel trusted to make mistakes.  

Many of us have encountered leaders who claim to welcome new ideas or risks, only to shame or ostracize their proponent when experiments go awry.   

As such, encouraging risk is an exercise for leaders to practicing what they preach, particularly in forgiving mistakes. 

One way to do this is to have an open failure tolerance policy in place.  

Tip: Set boundaries when setting the parameters for smart risks. Is there a common understanding around the difference between a “measured” and “unmeasured” risk? Are there budget constraints? Managing expectations effectively will ensure leaders are not forced to forgive unacceptable consequences. 

3. Practice Vulnerability

Often, vulnerability is seen as weakness.  

Conversely, it is a key component to creating a psychologically safe environment. Indeed, it is a willingness to admit fault, and thus curate a transparent team dynamic.  

Google Venture’s Daniel Burka describes how “Anxiety Parties” made his team more vulnerable, and thus “more effective.” His team would write down their anxieties and their colleagues would score them as to how much improvement was needed: 

“It turned out that many of the anxieties we had were entirely baseless… And some of our anxieties were well-founded. So, we discussed the pros and cons and came up with a new plan together.” He noted, “It felt like a breath of fresh air to have the issue out in the open.” 

Naturally, this method requires an extremely trusting and open team to take part. It also requires vulnerability to accept the potential that one’s professional anxieties are substantiated. Could this approach be an eventual aim if not an immediately realistic option? 

Tip: In a hybrid era of work, it is easier than ever to de-humanize the workforce. Have you considered how technology and homeworking is impacting the team’s sense of freedom to be transparent? 

4. Be a role model

If you – as a leader – are not comfortable doing these things yourself, it’s going to be very difficult to create an environment where others feel comfortable doing them.  

McKinsey research finds: “Positive team climate is the most important driver of psychological safety and most likely to occur when leaders demonstrate supportive, consultative behaviours, then begin to challenge their teams…  Yet just 43% of all respondents report a positive climate within their team.” 

Thus, a pivotal question to ask at this juncture is: “How safe does my team feel, to speak up, take risks and be vulnerable?”  

And if the answer is unknown, can it still be said that innovation is a real priority until this is addressed?  

GDS Summits are tailored 3-day virtual event conferences that bring together business leaders and solution providers to accelerate sales cycles, industry conversations and outcomes. Regarding the Digital Innovation Summit 75% of Delegates said the overall experience of Digital Summit they attended was Above Average or Excellent and 75% of Delegates said the Digital Summit provided them with actionable outcomes to support their current initiatives.​  

For more, click here to hear from attendees on how GDS has helped them to achieve their business outcomes.  

Continue the debate at GDS’ Digital Innovation Summits where we bring together senior innovation executives who are actively seeking to share, learn, engage, and find the best solutions.